Written in Red by Anne Bishop

13Jul. Kindle.

Thanks to my sister for recommending this. I do enjoy a new twist in fantasy. The story takes place on the continent called Thaisia which bears a striking resemblance to North America. The names are disguised, but the places are pretty obvious. The city is called Lakeside, but if you catch a few landmarks, it is in the general vicinity of Chicago. Humans arrived in Thaisia to be confronted with the terra indigene or earth natives, who happen to be shape-shifters. They permit humans to live and farm in restricted areas and to share their technology with them.

The real difference in Bishop's world is the nature of the terra indigene. The main character is a Wolf (capitalized to distinguish the terra indigene from ordinary wolves) named Simon Wolfgard. Wolfgard is sort of the family name for all terra indigene Wolves. In myth and legend the were creature is a human being who under certain circumstances turns into a beast. In Bishop's story, the terra indigene are creatures who can shape themselves as humans if they wish. Simon Wolfgard is a wolf first and not a human being at all, regardless of his shape. The terra indigene come in all flavors - Wolves, Bears, Coyotes, Owls, Hawks, Crows, you name it --- and the Sanguinati - vampires, whose other shape is smoke. And various and sundry others, but telling you all that would spoil all the fun.

It opens with the arrival of a young woman dressed in light clothing in the heart of a Chicago winter night - I've been there in winter, and I wouldn't be out in it wearing tennis shoes, jeans, and a t-shirt. For reasons which he can't explain even to himself, Simon hires her to be the Human Liaison (mail room clerk) for the Lakeside Courtyard - the interface point between the terra indigene and the humans of the city of Lakeside. He is the co-owner of the bookstore Howling Good Books (gotta love it) and the leader of all the terra indigene of the area. The bookstore, the coffeeshop next door (A Little Bite) are open to both terra indigene and humans and are staffed by both.

In spite of all this cleverness, this is not a piece of fantasy fluff. Tensions are high between humans and terra indigene, and the situation could easily degenerate into outright war with the humans being the inevitable losers. A good solid read.